


Reasons to Stay

by goodlivin2u



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Castiel Acts Like Endverse Castiel (Supernatural), Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, College | University Student Dean Smith, Dom/sub, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Time, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Virgin Dean Winchester, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 08:07:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23968120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodlivin2u/pseuds/goodlivin2u
Summary: Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester couldn't be more different, but when they meet at a college party one night, they can't help but feel drawn to each other. Over the course of a year, their relationship will change in ways neither could have predicted. Will they be able to leave their pasts behind and find common ground?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration from Destiel Port facebook page. Prompt was photo of beer cups at a party that were color-coded "top," "bottom," or "versatile."
> 
> Ok guys, you know I haven't posted anything new since last September (it is now April of the following year). It's not because there's a lack of prompts available. I've imagined countless scenarios in my head, full stories even. But it's really hard to actually write it down. I lack motivation. These days, I'd rather read fanfic than write it. But I have been creative! All those prompts in my head get turned into cover art for fics that might never get written. It's actually something I really like to do now, and for some reason it's easier? 
> 
> With that said, enjoy this fic and urge me to write more! I love you all.

“Dude, I can’t believe we’re invited to our first college party! It hasn’t even been a week since we arrived.”

Dean smiled at his new friend’s enthusiasm. He met Benny only a few days ago at the Student Life and Activities Fair. Both he and Benny were here at KU on a football scholarship – Benny from Louisiana and Dean from good ol’ Texas.

“I’m telling you man, the top three things in life are beer, babes, and bacon. If I get two out of the three tonight, I’ll be happy.”

“Right? I saw this girl come out of the dining hall earlier and... whew!” Benny whistled low. “Legs for miles, soft curves, and hair long enough to really grab hold of. I wanted to sink my teeth into her right there! There’s nothing better than the warm wet heat of a willing female.”

“Totally,” Dean said noncommittally. Benny didn’t need to know that Dean had never drank alcohol, or had sex. Back home, Dean was a clean-cut Mama’s boy. He dated only one girl, Lisa, and he broke it off because she wanted more. But here? He could be anyone.

The party was in full swing by the time they arrived. Dean offered to get them drinks. He thought it was a bit odd that there were different colored cups, but he grabbed two at random.

Before he could make his way back to his friend, Dean was stopped by a brunette.

“So… you like getting pounded into a wall, do you? I can work with that,” She leered at him. Dean backed away, feeling creeped out.

“Um…”

“Meg, leave the poor kid alone. He’s just here to have a good time.” Dean hadn’t noticed another stranger beside them, but he was grateful for the interruption.

“I am, too. Why can’t we have fun together? I’ll go easy on him.”

The man looked – Meg, was it? – in the eye and raised one brow. “Did you not hear me? Leave.”

Immediately, she hurried off and was lost in the crowd before Dean could blink. He wasn’t sure what just happened, but that raised eyebrow was doing things to him.

The man turned back to Dean and said, “Sorry about her. She can come off a little too strong and doesn’t know when to back off.”

“Thanks. I’m a bit out of my element here.”

“First time?”

Dean choked a bit on his beer upon hearing that. The other man patted his back to help with the coughing. His hand lingered a moment longer than necessary.

“What? No… okay, yeah. What gave me away?”

“The deer-in-the-headlights look. But that will change with time. Soon, you’ll be an old pro and won’t even get drunk on the alcohol.” He winked, taking a drink.

“Do I want to know what’s in your cup, then?”

“Let’s work up to that, yeah?” The man patted Dean’s cheek. “Don’t want to overwhelm the newbie. You might run away and never come back.”

“If I had a reason to stay, who knows what would happen?”

The other man tilted his head and stared at Dean. Leaning forward, he whispered: “Come find me at the end of the night if there aren’t any other takers.”

Stepping back, he yelled “Bottoms up!” The room erupted in cheers, but only half of the people chugged their beers.

Dean decided that as parties go, this one definitely was weird. It was affecting him strangely, too. Did he just flirt with this guy? What happened to being straight?

Someone crashed into him from behind. “Brother, this is the best party ever! And the cup system? Genius.”

“Huh?” Still shaken, Dean had trouble forgetting what just happened.

“The cups. Blue is for people that like to top, green is for people who like to bottom, and orange is for people who are versatile. Makes it so much easier. Anyway, I’ll see ya later!”

“Bye,” Dean said, but his friend was already gone. Guess he’d have to find his own way home tonight.

\--------------

“So, who’s the lucky victim tonight, Cassie?” Gabe said as they stood in the kitchen, surveying the crowd. There was always a good turn out, but first-of-the-year parties were his favorite.

“Oh, I have my eye on a few.” Cas scanned the room, finding the boy from earlier. His brother tracked the movement and hummed in agreement.

“You do like corrupting the fresh meat, don’t you?”

“We all have our hobbies, Gabe. Not to mention – the Novaks have a reputation to uphold. You with the parties, Luc with the cheating grades. We wouldn’t want to go soft now, would we?”

Gabe looked down at Cas’ crotch and smirked. “I don’t think that will _ever_ be a problem for you, baby bro.”

They drank in silence for a while, before Gabe knocked shoulders with his brother.

“Name’s Dean Winchester. New recruit, has potential. I think he should join the frat house. At least then, I’d get to see you more.”

Cas turned towards him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Oh come on, Cassie. You only come to these parties to hook up, but as soon as the mission’s accomplished, you disappear from my life. Am I that horrible to be around?”

“Gabe…”

“No, I get it. I miss you, but I understand.” He smiled sadly at Cas before walking off.

_Fuck._ That did not go how Cas wanted it to. He hadn’t seen Gabe since the end of last semester in May because they spent the summer with different halves of their divorced parents. Cas was counting on this party to reconnect. He thought that this year would be different – their last year.

It was true that Cas usually ended up with a guy or girl in his bed after every party, and that was one of his motivations for tonight. With Dean in the picture, it seemed he might get his wish after all. Speaking of… where was that boy? Seems he had left, too. Well, what’s one more person to add to the shitpile that was his life? Everybody always left. That’s why he came to these parties. Enjoy the fun while it lasted.

Deciding that he’d call Balthazar later for a booty call, Cas grabbed himself another drink.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean looked up from the map in his hands, trying to figure out which buildings held his classes. KU was a huge school, and there weren’t any signs pointing in the right direction.

A gust of wind blew the map from Dean’s hands. Dean groaned, watching it dance farther across the lawn as he tried to chase it.

“Rough day?” the stranger from the other night asked as he bent to pick up Dean’s map. He held it out with slender fingers.

“Yeah. Do you have any idea where Bender Hall is?”

The man laughed, causing Dean to glare at him. “Sorry, it’s just that Bender Hall was torn down 30 years ago. They replanted a forest where it once stood. But no one goes out there much anymore. Legend has it that students go missing and never come back.”

“You really believe in ghost stories?”

The man raised his eyebrow – _the_ eyebrow, as Dean called it now – and said: “Don’t challenge my authority, Winchester. Who’s attended school here longer, you or me?”

“You.”

“Correct. Besides, children shouldn’t play with dead things.”

Well, that wasn’t ominous at all. A chill went up Dean’s spine, but he swore it was just the wind.

“Dude… did you kill a man?”

“No, I did not.” He took Dean’s map and threw it in the nearby trash.

“Hey! I needed that.”

“That map won’t tell you anything useful. Plus, wouldn’t you like a specially-curated tour from yours truly?”

It should be illegal to go from a serious expression to puppy dog eyes in the span of a second. Dean is no match for the deep blues in front of him, and he folds like a cheap paper plate.

“Alright. But no more ghost stories.”

The man slung his arm around Dean’s shoulders and guided him to their next destination.

“Stick with me, kid, and you’ll do just fine.”

Over the course of the next two hours, Dean learned which professors graded harshly, which of the three coffeeshops on campus had the best pastries, and what classes to avoid. He found himself laughing more than he had in a long while. Maybe college wouldn’t be so scary after all.

Checking his watch for the time, he swore under his breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“I completely lost track of time. I was supposed to pick a date for this event the fraternity is hosting. Not to mention, I still have to get ready. My Big Brother’s gonna be so mad at me if I don’t come.”

“Who’s your Big Brother?”

“Michael Novak. Why, you know him?”

“You could say that. Has he been giving you a hard time lately?”

“A bit, but it’s a part of the hazing process. I expected it when I joined.”

They headed towards the direction of Dean’s dorm. First-years weren’t allowed to move into the frat house, so Dean shared a room with a guy named Andy. He had a weird sleep schedule and always complained of headaches, but other than that, he mostly kept to himself.

As Dean approached his door, the other man stopped him.

“Dean, there’s something you should know. This isn’t a typical event. The guys are going to take you and your date to a nice restaurant, and then they’re going to expect you to ditch and leave your date with the bill. It’s one of their stupid pranks. I’d suggest taking someone that you don’t care about, or someone you don’t see a future with.”

“I doubt that will be an issue, seeing as I don’t know anyone here yet.”

“I could go with you.”

Just as he was about to open the door to his room, the keys dropped from Dean’s hands. Both men reached for them, brushing hands.

Dean stood up quickly. “I appreciate your offer, but I’m straight.” He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince more – himself or this stranger that he was drawn to.

“Be that as it may, you’re running out of options. Take me as a friend, then. I deserve being on the receiving end after all the years I’ve done this.”

Chewing on his lip, Dean nodded. “I don’t put out on the first date, though,” he joked.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. You’re a proper lady.”

It wasn’t until they made eye contact that they burst out in laughter. “You bet your sweet ass I am. Now go! I have to get ready,” Dean said, shoving his new friend towards the parking lot.

“I’ll pick you up at 7.”

Neither one could hide their smiles.

\--------------

As promised, a knock on Dean’s door arrived just on time. Opening it, he was taken aback by how nice his friend looked.

Sensing Dean’s reaction, the man opened his arms and turned in a slow circle. “Good?”

If Dean were honest, he’d say that the light blue dress shirt brought out the man’s eyes. However, he settled on one last look and led with: “Why don’t you unbutton it?”

It earned him a smirk and Dean watched as his wish was granted.

“Ready?”

“Yeah, let me just grab my jacket.”

Dean ducked inside, grateful for a moment to compose himself. _Get it together, Winchester._

As he came back out, his friend offered to help put on his blazer. “Here, let me.”

After putting each arm in its respective hole (and Dean did not want to dwell on the sexual implication of that), he faced his friend. The man ran his fingers over Dean’s shoulders and smoothed out his lapel.

Dean cleared the lump in his throat and spoke up: “Hey, can you take a picture of me? It’s not often that my mom sees me all cleaned-up, and I know she’ll have a field day if I don’t have evidence of tonight.”

“Of course, Dean.”

The man took one photo just of Dean, and then they had a few together with silly poses. Before handing the phone back, the man sent the images to himself.

“There, now you have my number.”

“Smooth, real smooth… Castiel?” Dean looked up from his phone. “That’s a mouthful.”

“Oh, you’d like it to be!”

 _Maybe_ , Dean thought. _Would it be so bad if I did?_ Wait, what? Where did that come from?

Dean jogged ahead to the parking lot, needing some fresh air.

“Come on, old man!” he yelled behind him.

Catching up, Castiel asked, “This is your car? She’s a beauty.” He ran his fingers over the fender in admiration.

Dean didn’t know why Castiel’s approval meant so much to him, but he fought off a blush nonetheless.

They drove in comfortable silence to the restaurant, which was located just outside campus. As they met with the others in the group, Cas strode up to the head of the table.

“Michael.”

“Castiel,” his brother replied icily. “What are you doing at a classy establishment like this?”

“Actually, one of your pledges invited me. Dean Winchester?”

“Ah, yes. Have you not tired of him yet? I must admit, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is obedient and gullible. I’m sure in a few weeks’ time, he’ll be a distant memory for you. The kind thing to do would be to let him go. Don’t break his heart.”

Cas balled his hands into fists, barely holding back from saying something he might regret.

“What do you know about being kind? You didn’t even –“

“Now now, Cassie. We wouldn’t want to spoil a perfectly good dinner with such talk, would we?”

Michael smiled. “I bet that you can’t even resist having sex with someone else in the span of your short-lived relationship with Dean. A whore is always a whore, especially when it comes to you.”

Cas made his way to the manager of the restaurant, whispering in his ear and then shaking his hand. He returned to his seat next to Dean, who was finishing up a conversation with his friend Benny and Benny’s date, a nice girl named Andrea.

Dean faced Cas and exclaimed: “Dude, I just realized something. These girls that are being ditched tonight? They aren’t all that bad, and they’re obviously single. I’ll have my pick of them once this is over. Getting a girl has never been easier!”

 _Oh._ Right, Dean was straight. How could Cas have forgotten?

With a sincerity that didn’t completely meet his eyes, he replied: “I’m happy for you, and wish you the best of luck with that choice.”

Dean didn’t notice Cas’ change in his demeanor, so he barreled ahead with conversation.

“Benny told me I missed Student Orientation earlier today. Any idea how that could happen, Mr. Tour Guide?”

“I must admit, I knew of that activity on your schedule. I thought you might enjoy my version better, though. I now realize it was selfish, and a stupid mistake on my part. It won’t happen again.”

He picked up his fork and started eating, but Dean caught his arm.

“No, Cas. I did enjoy hanging out with you. Just tell me next time, yeah? I would have probably still made the same decision, but I really don’t want to miss out on anything important.”

_Dean doesn’t think you’re important, because you’re not. What are you even doing here, Castiel? Desperately trying to convince a freshman that you’re worth his time? A freshman that is so out of your league and has told you multiple times that he is not into you?_

Reaching around Dean, Benny stuck his hand out. “Cas, is it? Nice to meet you. I’m Dean’s friend, Benny Lafitte. You were at the party the other night, right?”

“Correct. My brother Gabriel was in charge of it, though. Are you in the fraternity, too?”

“I hope I will be. We’ll hear at the end of the week.”

“You’ll like most of the guys. Gabe can be a bit much, but he’ll grow on you.”

“Have any other siblings, Cas?”

“At the moment, there’s He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named over there,” Cas jerked his head over to Michael. “And Luc, who’s a tutor – but I’d suggest him as a last resort.”

“Duly noted.”

They continued talking through dinner, and then it was time to go. Michael stood up, addressing the table.

“Ladies, and… _Castiel_ ,” he sneered. “It’s been fun, but I’m afraid that we have to cut this evening short. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your night. Please feel free to stay as long as you’d like.”

Dean turned to Cas with a sad smile. “I guess this is it. Thank you for doing this on such short notice. I really owe you one.”

“Think nothing of the sort. It was my pleasure to be your date tonight.”

Dean clapped him on the shoulder before leaving. “I’ll call you, okay?”

Cas had heard and used that line enough times that he knew it wasn’t true. The best outcome would be if Dean forgot Cas existed and moved on.

Looking at the confused faces around him, he decided to make the most of this situation.

“Who would like to get washed up and meet me at my room for an orgy?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did Cas tell the restaurant manager?
> 
> What conversation was cut short between Cas and his brother Michael?
> 
> Do you think Cas is wasting his time with Dean?

**Author's Note:**

> I know this ended on a sad note, so let me fix it! If you want more, please comment. I like this fic, but I'm going to need your motivation to continue writing it!


End file.
